Tips for Beginner Portrait Photographer (Guest Post) 31/10/2011 2 Comments   Author : Marianne Worlow You will be overwhelmed. This is totally normal. Think of photography as a step by step process. A process that while always have knowledge added to it. If you aren't learning then you aren't improving. First things first is learn your camera. In a step by step process as well, until you are shooting manually. Some people can read their owners manual & some people will have to learn by doing. In a trial & error kind of manner. Shooting 100% manually is the only way to insure that you are in complete control of your art. Do not get mad at yourself for what you did wrong. Be happy with yourself for what you learned. Shoot all the time & the pieces will fall into place. Lighting. Lighting. Lighting. I can't say it enough. Once you know how to work that gear, learn your lighting. Use it to your advantage & hunt it down. Your image is nothing without good lighting. Don't tell yourself to fix it in post processing. Produce amazing images straight out of your camera. A simple rule to think about is: During your shoot if you find yourself excited & proud of the photo you just shot & are willing to let your client see it on the back of your camera. You are doing awesome. If you want to hide the image until it is processed, you have some work to do. During the photo shoot that is. Learning & understanding your light goes hand & hand with understanding your gear. Finding you. It is so easy to find yourself lost in others work, I still do. So many other photographers openly talk about it happening to them, even the big shots. If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will. When starting out it is very hard to find your place in the photography world. Hard to find you. Most likely you will over edit your photos & down the road look back & laugh. We all{most} have gone through this. Be true to you & spend your time improving your art, not looking at others. This is a daily challenge.  Don't be afraid to ask or use your resources. It is so easy to be scared & feel like you are lost/ lonely when starting out. You will be pleasantly surprised in the way the industry has/is changing. There are a good amount of photographers out there willing to help & others that spend their time only doing just that. There are many blogs & forums that you can start following to help answer your questions. When all else fails, google it. ;) Relax & take a step back. I often find myself very excited or overwhelmed during a shoot. I have to recollect & tell myself, "you know what you are doing, you know how to work your camera, just breathe & follow your heart/eye." If you become overwhelmed just step back & breathe. Trust yourself & your eye. Your clients booked you because they trust you & believe in your art. So do just that, create your art. Rent before you buy. When starting out finding your style is just as important as knowing your gear & what gear should you use? Well we all know gear is not cheap. Before you go spending all your pretty pennies, Rent! Yes rent your gear & see what you like. What goes with your style? I shoot only prime lenses because I love what they produce & how they fit with my style. Maybe you prefer zoom lenses? I shoot Canon. Maybe you would like Nikon? Rent it & see for yourself. Then you will feel 100% positive about your large investment. Treat your clients like you would want to be treated. I know this sounds like something your mom would tell you & that's probably because she did/does. Truly, wouldn't you want your email answered in a timely manner? Wouldn't you want to feel like you mattered to your photographer? Just always remember that. It's simple. After all, if it wasn't for your clients how would you be able to do what you love? Author Marianne Worlow Website : Marianne Worlow Photography   Comments Perla 02/11/2011 10:12pm Nice job :) Reply McKL link 05/03/2012 10:40pm Very well put together!. Reply Leave a Reply

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